The character 左 — “left”: how to write it and what it means
left
The Chinese character 左 is read zuǒ and means “left”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 左
左 has 5 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 左, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 左 is made of
At the bottom, 工 “work”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 左
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 左?
左 has 5 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 左 mean?
左 means “left”. It appears in 左边 (“on the left”), 左右 (“about”).
How do you pronounce 左?
左 is read zuǒ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 左 have?
5 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 左 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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